Our church is wrapping up the summer sermon series over Psalm 23. I wanted to share one final thought which just came to me.
Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.”
Here you can see Death Valley.
The setting sun has just disappeared behind that tall indominable mountain range rising up on the far side of the valley. Death Valley is filled with shadow!
And look how BIG Death Valley is!! It is absolutely massive!
As I stood at the overlook and gazed across Death Valley, I had an entirely new appreciation for just how massively BIG Death Valley is! I’m very familiar with valleys.
The area where I live was once covered over by glaciers. As the glaciers retreated, they carved out deep valleys, running north & south between tall ridges (Snoqualmie Ridge, Redmond Ridge, Sammamish Plateau, etc. …)
Here you can see the Snoqualmie Valley. It’s a beautiful valley … large and expansive. Lush and green. Rich and fertile … filled with many farms and grazing cattle. In the distance you can see the Cascade Mountain Range rising up.
If you are in just the right spots, you can have an amazing view of Mt. Rainier in the far distance. Even in the shadows of the setting sun, this is still a delightful valley.
Here you can see the Sammamish Valley. It’s likewise a beautiful valley. Equally large and expansive … lush and green. Rich and fertile … filled with many farms. And likewise, if you are in just the right spots, you can have an amazing view of Mt. Rainier in the far distance.
Even in the shadows of the setting sun, this also is a delightful valley.
But Death Valley … Death Valley is ominous in the shadows of the setting sun. Death Valley will be utterly pitch black during the night.
Death Valley is vast … and expansive … and wide! It will take a long time to get across to the other side. And in the utter pitch black of the night??
Isn’t this how we feel when we go through “the valley of the shadow of death” in our own life?
The valley feels ominous in the deep shadows. The valley feels utterly pitch black as we traverse this long, painful season. The valley feels vast … and expansive. When will we ever make it across to the other side??
And then if we do ever make it across … what about that indominable mountain range rising up on the far side of the valley?? How will we ever get over that to make it to the other side??
I picked up, as a souvenir of my visit to Death Valley, this fabulous book: Night Skies of the American Southwest. It has some of the most incredible photos of the Milky Way Galaxy, taken from our nation’s National Parks.
Believe it or not, it is the utter pitch black of the night in Death Valley which makes the stars of our universe shine all the brighter!
Check out this amazing photo from my souvenir book of the Milky Way Galaxy, taken from Death Valley.
Stunning … isn’t it!
It is the utter pitch black of the night in Death Valley that gives you this view. You can’t see this from the Snoqualmie Valley. You can’t see this from the Sammamish Valley. There is way too much light pollution from the surrounding city.
But in the utter pitch black … in Death Valley … you can see the glory of God on display like nowhere else.
It is “Death Valley” … it is the “valley of the shadow of death” that you see God’s glory on display and God’s power at work in your life like never before!
It is the utter pitch black of night … it is in the “valley of the shadow of death” … that you see God’s splendor and majesty like no other time! It has to be utter pitch black to see the Milky Way Galaxy!
The “valley of the shadow of death” is not fun! No one wants to go through the “valley of the shadow of death.”
But when God sends you through the “valley of shadow of death” … God is there with you! God is right there with you! And His power is on display in your life like you will never experience at any other time!
Even in the “valley of the shadow of death” light is there! God’s light is there! Shining in beautiful, breathtaking glory!
It is in the “valley of the shadow of death” that you will experience God’s majesty like never before.
Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; You comfort me.”
